Friday, October 5, 2012

Comfort: Bread - In Many Forms - With Meat Or Vegetables (And Potato Salad On The Side)

The vegetarian special at Soretti's

Bon Fresco Sandwich Bakery has begun charging 50 cents for its potato salad side dish, and you shouldn't think twice about picking up one or even two.

Fresh bread makes wonderful comfort food. To me, no one makes a better sandwich than Bon Fresco's London broil. But don't go cheap and miss out on the amazing potato salad -- smooth without being heavy, getting all the flavor from the basic potato without tarting up with cream and fat.

Fifty cents is a bargain. It's better than any bag of chips -- and cheap at that price.

Bon Fresco's London broil and potato salad

But comforting bread can come in many forms. The Bon Fresco sandwich makes for an easy grab. Even after a drive home, the thin-sliced steak contrasts perfectly with the crisp greens and the slightly chewy loaf.

In contrast, Soretti Ethiopian Cuisine's vegetable special provides a homey, simple challenge. You just eat everything. Eat the vegetables. Eat the lentils. Even eat the plate -- the injera bread spread out beneath the stews.

It's not literally the plate. There is a plate under the injera. I realize that Ethiopian vegetable platters may not be the most-standard comfort food. But I last ended up in the Burtonsville restaurant on night where I had to feed myself and a cold. I brought a paperback novel, and I sat quietly with dinner and a cup of sweet Ethiopian tea. One of the lentils runs spicy, but mostly, the salads and stews just taste like vegetables. Bright colors, earthy flavors, and healthy fuel for a healing body.

Soretti is a friendly, relaxed place. The women there treated me nicely, and I hung out to read and finish my tea. They offered some extra lentils, which sounded smart until I realized that I was incredibly full. They're delicious, but I realized eventually that I was scooping food to be polite -- not because I needed any more to eat.